A new species of an ancient marine reptile evolved to strike terror into the hearts of the normally safe, fast-swimming fish has been identified by a team of University of Alberta researchers, shedding light on what it took to survive in highly competitive ecosystems.
Gavialimimus almaghribensis, a new type of mosasaur, was catalogued and named by an international research team led by master's student Catie Strong, who performed the research a year ago as part of an undergrad honours thesis guided by vertebrate paleontologist Michael Caldwell, professor in the Faculty of Science, along with collaborators from the University of Cincinnati and Flinders University.
More than a dozen types of mosasaur—which can reach 17 metres in length and resemble an overgrown komodo dragon—ruled over the marine environment in what is now Morocco at the tail end of the Late Cretaceous period between 72 and 66 million years ago.
What differentiates Strong's version, however, is that it features a long, narrow snout and interlocking teeth—similar to the crocodilian gharials, a relative of crocodiles and alligators.
Strong said this discovery adds a layer of clarity to a diverse picture seemingly overcrowded with mega-predators all competing for food, space and resources.
"Its long snout reflects that this mosasaur was likely adapted to a specific form of predation, or niche partitioning, within this larger ecosystem."
